Bai Xuanmo’s words got stuck halfway.
Ye Sinian and the others followed Yun Nuo’s gaze, only to see General Bai and his group.
Combined with Yun Nuo’s remark, the atmosphere at the military base’s entrance suddenly turned eerie.
Not just Ye Sinian and Bai Xuanmo—even General Bai couldn’t immediately figure out who Yun Nuo was talking to.
Truthfully, General Bai had considered Ye Shaohua…
But if it really was her, the reality was a bit hard to swallow. How could someone from the Yun family know someone from the Ye family, especially Ye Shaohua?
General Bai stiffly glanced back at Ye Shaohua, thinking it couldn’t possibly be her.
Meanwhile, Ye Sinian hadn’t even entertained the idea that it might be Ye Shaohua and was still scanning the area for anyone else.
Ye Shaohua tilted her head slightly and smiled at General Bai, the oversized black-framed glasses obscuring the light in her eyes.
“Dad, that paper I stuffed in your pocket this morning—where is it?” In the dead silence, Ye Shaohua stepped past General Bai, then suddenly remembered something and turned to Ye Cheng.
Ye Cheng, still tipsy from drinking and dazed by the scene, mechanically pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket—folded haphazardly and creased from being pressed inside.
He handed it to Ye Shaohua.
“I wasn’t hiding,” she said, taking a few more steps forward before passing the paper to Yun Nuo. “I just had to leave with Uncle Bai.”
Yun Nuo stared at the design blueprint—something countless international big shots would kill to get their hands on—now casually folded into a messy square. Even he had to resist the urge to facepalm. Instead, he took the paper without immediately unfolding it, his demeanor almost indifferent.
Yet, the way he carefully tucked it away was anything but careless.
His sharp eyes flicked to her, skepticism written all over his face.
And for good reason.
The head of the mafia had contacted her first—her initial blueprint had been sold to Jim.
Then came Benji from the FBI. In fact, while many in the country knew Benji had come to China, very few were aware he was here specifically to see Ye Shaohua.
But Yun Nuo and his people knew.
“You’re leaving already?” Yun Nuo raised a brow, smiling faintly. “I was going to invite you to tour the base’s setup.”
Ye Shaohua chuckled. “I heard non-military personnel aren’t even allowed to stand here. I’d better not.”
Before Yun Nuo could respond, a tanned young man behind him cut in, “Who the hell said that? Miss Ye, if you want, you can live here—treat the base like your own home.” He yanked another man forward. “I’ll even assign this guy to be your personal chauffeur.”
The man being dragged over nodded vigorously.
General Bai, Bai Xuanmo, and the other high-ranking officers froze.
That obediently nodding figure… was Yun Nuo’s right-hand man?!
“No thanks,” Ye Shaohua checked her watch. “I’ve got an interview to get to.”
“An interview?” Yun Nuo blinked. “You need to interview?”
If she wanted to join any organization, they’d probably send a hundred fighter jets to escort her.
Ye Shaohua sighed dramatically. “Dad thinks I’m wasting my life at home and told me to get a job. I’m applying for an electrical engineer position.”
Yun Nuo: “…”
His subordinate, who knew exactly who Ye Shaohua was: “…”
They could already imagine international bigwigs losing their minds.
Electrical engineer? Seriously?
The group chatted casually—not like close friends, but Yun Nuo’s team acted unusually familiar with Ye Shaohua, practically tripping over themselves to recommend their unit to her.
It almost looked like… they were trying to curry favor with her.
None of this would be strange among ordinary people. But these were no ordinary people.
One was the daughter of a retired soldier. The other was an elite special forces unit.
To outsiders, the scene was nothing short of horrifying.
Ye Cheng and the others could barely breathe under Yun Nuo’s presence. Watching Ye Shaohua converse so easily with them, Ye Cheng’s mind short-circuited. Between the alcohol and the surreal situation, he wondered if he was dreaming.
Bai Xuanmo, the only one present who knew Yun Nuo and his subordinate’s true status, was the most shaken of all.
As for Ye Sinian? The moment Ye Shaohua started talking to them, her brain shorted out.
She was the least able to accept this.
Ever since transmigrating into Ye Sinian’s body, she’d always felt superior to the Ye family—three ordinary people, especially Ye Shaohua, who seemed fragile, weak, and unable to handle even the slightest setback.
When she successfully joined the Yun military base, that pride skyrocketed.
After all, in her past life, she’d risen above two thousand of China’s finest special forces soldiers to become Agent No. 3.
She had every reason to be confident.
She’d ached to prove to Ye Cheng and the others just how much more exceptional she was than Ye Shaohua.
What did Ye Shaohua have? No skills, average looks, a jobless graduate glued to her computer, leeching off her parents—why did Ye Cheng and Du Man dote on her so much?
The moment she stepped out of the base earlier and saw Ye Cheng’s stunned face upon learning she’d made the preparatory camp, she’d felt vindicated.
Finally, she’d proven herself.
But now, watching this scene unfold, her emotions were a tangled mess. It all felt absurd!
How the hell did Ye Shaohua, an ordinary nobody, know these people?!
“Dad, Uncle Bai, let’s go.” Without sparing a glance at the others, Ye Shaohua walked back to General Bai and Ye Cheng.
The two men nodded stiffly and, under the collective gaze of the base’s top brass, mechanically climbed into General Bai’s Hongqi limousine.
Only after driving several hundred meters away, the oppressive military atmosphere fading, did they finally start to relax.
“Shaohua… how do you know the Yun family?” General Bai couldn’t hold back any longer.
Though the liquor had been a hint, seeing Ye Shaohua chat so casually with Yun Nuo still left him reeling.
Ye Shaohua gave the interview address before replying, “Oh, we met online.”
General Bai suddenly recalled Ye Cheng mentioning that Ye Shaohua had made many friends online.
Could those “friends” be… Yun Nuo and his team?
He had a million more questions—how she’d met Yun Nuo, what that paper was—but it was clear he wouldn’t get answers today.
Arriving at the destination, General Bai stared up at the top-ten domestic corporation.
Bathed in sunlight, Ye Shaohua’s silhouette seemed inexplicably enigmatic.
“Old Ye… do you really know your daughter? Is she…?” General Bai couldn’t help asking.
Ye Cheng waved him off. “You’re overthinking it. Our Shaohua just stays home browsing the internet.” Ye Cheng was certain he knew his daughter. “But she actually went to an interview today! I’ve got to tell my wife!”
Yun Nuo—someone like that wouldn’t associate with just anyone.
Watching the oblivious Ye Cheng, General Bai gave up.
Ye Cheng skipped his stall for the day, buying a heap of groceries at the market. Whether to celebrate Ye Sinian’s entry into the preparatory camp or Ye Shaohua’s first real job, he wasn’t sure.
“Old Ye, buying so much today?” An elderly neighbor eyed his bags in surprise.
Everyone knew how frugal Ye Cheng and Du Man were for their daughters.
Du Man came down to help carry things. “Shaohua got a job—an electrical engineer! And Sinian made it into the military. We’re celebrating.”
The building’s residents had gossiped about Ye Shaohua behind their backs. Now that she had a job—even if it wasn’t great—Ye Cheng wanted to flaunt it. His daughter wasn’t some lazy freeloader.
The old woman offered a perfunctory compliment, but inwardly scoffed, remembering how Ye Cheng had bragged about Ye Shaohua giving them 2,000 yuan.
In this day and age, 2,000 yuan was nothing—not even enough to cover their mortgage.
Granny Li happened to be escorting a young couple out just then.
Hearing Du Man, she curled her lip disdainfully.
“Xiao Han, our Meimei is beautiful and talented. You two get along well,” Granny Li said loudly, deliberately needling Du Man for rejecting Mr. Yu. “She works at a major company—was even the department beauty at A University. Oh, Shaohua, you found a job? Where at? Meimei, isn’t yours at Starcrest?”
As if someone like Ye Shaohua could afford to be picky.
Xiao Han glanced at the Ye family, wrinkled his nose, and subtly pulled Meimei aside—as if avoiding something distasteful.
Du Man recognized Xiao Han as the one who’d thrown away Shaohua’s photo, deeming her too plain.
The neighborhood aunties had later gossiped about it, sending Du Man into a rage.
“Shaohua, isn’t that glasses frame heavy?” Du Man reached up to remove Ye Shaohua’s glasses.
